Number Patterns Teaching Resources
Explore number patterns in your maths classes this school year with fun worksheets, games and more teacher resources created to help your students understand how numbers in a sequence relate to one another.
Aligned with the Australian Version 9.0 maths standards, the printable and digital activities in this collection were created by the maths teachers on the Teach Starter team to help you save time on your lesson plans.
Whether this is your first year teaching about number patterns or you're just looking for a little extra help, we've got you covered. Read on for a primer from our teacher team! We explain what number patterns are so you can share with your class, plus we explore three common patterns.
What Are Number Patterns? A Kid-Friendly Definition
A number pattern is a series of numbers that each follow the same rule. These patterns or sequences can help us find missing numbers or identify what number will come next in a series.
For example, let's say you are given the following list of numbers:
- 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24
This is an example of a number pattern in which the next number in the series is 4 more than the previous number. Once you can identify the pattern in a series of numbers like this one, you can then use that pattern to determine what number comes next or even what numbers could have come before the list began.
This is one of the many reasons number patterns are an important part of building our students' algebraic reasoning skills. They help kids understand how numbers can be related to one another and apply what they know about those relationships to solve problems.
3 Common Types of Number Patterns
We can't talk about number patterns without breaking down the different types your students are going to encounter in their maths journey!
Linear Patterns
Linear patterns are number patterns in which the numbers increase or decrease by the same amount each time.
The example used above — in which each number in the series increased by a quantity of 4 — is a simple example of a linear pattern.
Geometric Number Patterns
Another type of pattern students may have to contend with is the geometric number pattern. This type involves numbers that are multiplied or divided by a constant factor.
The multiplication table is an example of a geometric number pattern.
Recursive Patterns
Students will have to make full use of their understanding of the four whole number operations to work with recursive patterns. That's because this pattern involves finding each successive number in the sequence by performing a specific operation on the previous number(s).
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Christmas Skip Counting - Printable Puzzles
Grab a set of 10 printable Christmas puzzles to help students skip count in the classroom.
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Roll to 100 Odd and Even Game
Create a fun maths station with this roll to 100 game where students show their knowledge of odd and even numbers up to 100.
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Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5, & 10 Mystery Picture
Have your students uncover a mystery picture by solving skip counting problems to and multiply by 2,3,4,5 & 10.
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Differentiated Number Pattern Worksheets for Year 3
Use this differentiated year 3 maths worksheet to allow students to practise completing number patterns and determining their rules.
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Find and Colour – Prime and Composite Numbers
Encourage your year 6 students to identify prime and composite numbers up to 100 with this free find and colour worksheet.
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Odd and Even Properties Student Cheat Sheet
Help students remember the properties of odd and even numbers with this student cheat sheet.
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Skip Counting Worksheet — Counting by 2, 5 and 10
Practise counting by 2, 5 and 10 with this skip counting worksheet.
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I Spy Odd and Even Number Worksheet
Practise determining odd and even numbers of objects with this fun scavenger hunt worksheet.
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Algebraic Expressions – Interactive Activity
Practise writing, reading and solving algebraic expressions with this set of interactive activities.
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Adding and Subtracting Integers - Codebreaker Worksheets
Crack the positive and negative number code with four adding and subtracting integers worksheets.
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Decimal Patterns Maths Mazes
Find your way through this set of maths mazes by determining the addition or subtraction pattern in a sequence of decimal numbers.
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Odd and Even Numbers PowerPoint
A 23 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing odd and even numbers to younger students.
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Odd and Even Properties Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the properties of odd and even numbers with this interactive teaching PowerPoint.
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Skip Counting by 1, 2, 5 and 10 Sorting Activity
Set up this sorting activity as a small group or rotation task for your students to practise thier skip counting skills.
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Odd and Even Numbers Poster Set
Help students memorise the rules for identifying odd and even numbers.
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Odd and Even Properties Worksheet
Predict and confirm if the product of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing sums is odd or even.
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Odd and Even Number Games
Practise identifying odd and even numbers in this fun set of game boards.
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Addition and Subtraction Rules for Odd and Even Numbers Matching Activity
A matching game to play when learning addition and subtraction rules for odd and even numbers.
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Charts of Odd and Even Numbers Up to 500
A set of number charts up to 500 to encourage your students to identify odd and even numbers.
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Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5 and 10 Board Game
Have students correctly answer problems involving skip counting and multiplication to be the first to lay down 4 game pieces in a row!
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10 More 10 Less Sorting Card Game
Engage your students and have them practise reading statements about values 10 more or 10 less, then and determining if the statement is accurate.
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Divisible by 2 Maze Worksheets
Help students practise determining if a number is divisible by 2 with this fun set of maze worksheets.
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Odd or Even Under 20 Cut and Paste Worksheets
Review odd and even numbers with this set of two cut and paste worksheets.
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Skip Counting Worksheets (Complete the Series)
Use this set of skip counting worksheets to check student understanding of skip counting in increasing intervals of 5, 10 and 100, by finishing a series.
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I Have Who Has: Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5,10
Teaching skip counting? Introduce your students to our I Have Who Has - style whole class games with this fun and interactive card activity!
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Bar Model Poster Pack
Help your students solve problems using the four operations with a pack of printable strip diagram anchor charts.
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Skip Counting by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 Posters and Worksheets
Practise and review skip counting by 2,3,4,5,and 10 with a pack of printable skip counting charts and worksheets.
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Ratio Tables – Worksheet
Determine missing values to show the relationship between quantities with this ratio tables worksheet.
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Naming Number Patterns Board Game
Play this number patterns board game which includes 36 question cards.
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Identifying Prime and Composite Numbers – Worksheet
Use understanding of factors to identify composite and prime numbers with this worksheet.
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Skip Counting to 100 - Card Game
Practise skip counting by 2, 5 and 10 with this card game for small groups.
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Odd and Even Cut-and-Paste Worksheet
Engage students in practising their knowledge of odd and even numbers with these simple cut-and-paste worksheets.